Top advisers to President Donald Trump have privately raised the possibility that the conflict with Iran could continue beyond the end of his presidency in January 2029, even as Trump publicly predicts Tehran will capitulate within months, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials have discussed the prospect directly with Trump in the Oval Office and Situation Room, according to U.S. officials cited by the new site. Their assessment is that Iran could withstand the U.S. naval blockade and other military pressure for years rather than accept Washington's terms.
The discussions indicate the administration is considering a substantially longer confrontation than Trump has described publicly. On Wednesday, Trump said he expected the war to end "immediately" after November's midterm elections "because they can't hold out any longer." He also said he did not expect oil prices to fall until after the election.
Trump nevertheless supports a potentially prolonged economic siege aimed at forcing Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, the Journal reported. The strategy, called "Operation Economic Outcast," combines a naval blockade with sanctions while seeking to avoid a return to large-scale combat.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has prolonged some Middle East deployments into 2027, while some air-defense units among roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in the region are being kept there without a firm end date. A third Marine Expeditionary Unit is preparing to deploy this fall, and the Air Force is rotating fighter squadrons through the region.
U.S. officials are also increasingly concerned that Iran could adapt its attacks and rebuild stocks of missiles, drones, radar and other military equipment, potentially prolonging the military stalemate.
Vance publicly declined last week to provide a timetable for ending hostilities, saying it would be "irresponsible" to disclose the administration's strategy and timeline.
A conflict lasting into 2029 would also require the U.S. to continue diverting military resources from Europe and Asia while risking prolonged disruption to global oil markets, according to the Journal.
